school drop offs/picks ups when both parents work FT

[Convex]

has this been 'done' yet.... apologies if so!

but would be grateful for your tips on how you manage school pick ups and drop offs when you have both parents working FT and no family help.

i will of course investigate flexible working but my job is very much an in-the-office sort of job so its not ideal.

how do you manage things?

[Mrs Nice]

Convex, this is not easy but doable. It depends on how willing both of you are to make compromise with the "job". I have friends who manage by doing morning and evening shifts - they only see each other at hand overs and weekends.If you both work on a fix 9-5 --- find a nursery that is close to your work. I see some parents on my way to work - at 6:30 am getting on the bus with their toddlers. You can take turns on early morning drop offs and pick-ups too. Sometimes someone has to do the sacrifice. Or as a last resort get a childminder for the crucial 2.5 hours before you get home from normal work hours. Whatever you do - don't push the stress on yourself to be supermommy/daddy if you cannot. It is okay to get help .

[Vick]

Hi

We are in a similar situation although I don't work Friday's. Basically, we have a childminder in the morning, my husband drops the kids off at hers at 8am then heads to work. Our kids (5 and 6 yrs) then go to Afterschool club Mon-Thurs until 6pm and I pick them up from there. But, not sure if your school is the same, the waiting list for Afterschool club is long so I suggest getting your name down as early as possible. Holidays seem to work out OK, especially now Nimble Arts have extended their hours from 8-6. Hope that helps!

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Convex, I would suggest you contact the primary school your child is going to and find out if they have a breakfast club and afterschool club. As Vick mentions above they can be very popular and you therefore may need to put your child's name down for September. There are also places outside schools that offer wrap around care, it may be worth asking the primary if they know of any that drop off and pick up from the school.

Renata

[Convex]

Thanks all,

yes the after school club has a year long waiting list so thats not an option, at least not a viable one for September!

[Lacey]

There's a real disparity I think in the extent to which schools support working parents with wrap around care. Our closest school (in Lambeth) had no after school club on site and the breakfast club only starts at 8.30am (one of the reasons we didn't apply).

At our boys' school, they are in breakfast club from 8am and ASC til 5.45pm and the school also runs a holiday club at Easter and in the Summer. The school's approach has been to expand the provision to meet growing demand in the years we have been at the school.

Convex - if the school has a year long waiting list for ASC, could you (and other parents in the same boat) ask the school what plans they have to expand it to meet the demand that clearly exists (assuming there is the necessary space)?